As evidenced at ProMat in early April, the industry is enjoying yet another strong year, spurred by customer demand for innovations that help them navigate a rapidly changing competitive landscape. The future promises further change, but expectations remain optimistic even as system suppliers and end users continue to chart new territory.

For the second-consecutive year, Modern’s 20th-annual Top 20 Systems Suppliers list shows nearly universal revenue growth in 2016 among the top players, including some with double-digit gains. The list’s combined revenues increased 3.4% since 2015 and grew nearly 10% since 2014.

“There’s a lot more investment than in years past,” says Norm Saenz, managing director at St. Onge Co. “E-commerce is driving a lot of it as customers try to find ways to deal with that channel’s volume increase. When e-commerce goes up 40% to 50%, they’re wondering how to reinvent a facility to handle those changes.”